Four Quadrant

What does Four Quadrant film mean? 

A four quadrant film refers to a film that appeals to all four major demographics or “quadrants”, these are; male, female, young (under 25), and old (over 25). 

Larger budget films often appeal to a four quadrant audience as they aim to be as commercially successful as possible. Working Title, the subsidiary of the vertically integrated conglomerate Universal uses this as they aim for commercial success. This is contrasted by the indie film company Warp, which has a niche target audience as they focus on representing minorities. 

Example of a four quadrant film: 

This Working Title film appeals to a four quadrant audience: 

The High Note (2020) 

The protagonist is played by Dakota Johnson, a young, conventionally attractive female. This appeals to a young female audience through the Uses and Gratifications theory of personal identification, appealing to younger and older women, as well as attracting a male audience through Mulvey’s male gaze theory. The other protagonist is played by Tracee Ellis Ross, an older female, which serves as personal identification for older women, and attracts a male secondary audience. Ice Cube plays in a supporting role allowing for personal identification with an older male audience. 

Inspiration for my film: 

As we are indie producers making a slasher film, we are appealing to a niche audience. This means that the four quadrant approach is not as needed for our film, but if it was a full length feature we would have an older cast playing police officers, parents, or teachers in order to appeal to a secondary older demographic.